One Last Visit, One Last Word
by Angelglitched
Summary: A simple phone call and a pill is what it takes to get a lot of people in the same place, but it yields mixed results. It might end well, or it might not. Follow Haibara's, Conan's and Ran's path down this road, and see where they link up to.
1. Chapter 1: Haibara's Mistake

**One Last Visit, One Last Word  
Chapter One: Haibara's Mistake  


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**_Tarino: Its been some time since I ended the Angel Of Destiny series, and I not going to put any of that here.  
This story was based of a fanpic about DC, drawn a year ago. Please forgive the awful writing! Then again, I should go by Stephen King's quote: Writers are usually the worst judge of their work. Again, if there are any improvements to be added, please feel free to review me, I would be more than happy to work on the draft of the story again.  
This story...I have wrapped as a present for the 4th of July, for Shinichi. Happy Birthday!_

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She knew she should not go back on her word. Yet, it was so tempting, just to relive her fond memories again.

The little girl sat at the bus stop all alone that warm afternoon, waiting for it to arrive. She cupped a white rose in her hand, gently curling the petals backwards with her petite fingers, making the rose look fuller in bloom. He would be looking all over for her any second now, and would probably soon be dragged back home, a long lecture about remaining in hiding waiting for her.

The bus wheezed into the stop, and she got on, her feet shuffling against the plastic boarding that covered the floor. She dropped her fare into the box and made her way to the back of the bus, somewhere she thought she could hide in plain sight. Her hood was up, not so much that it allowed her to see, but enough to shade her from the strong sunlight and prying eyes. The bus was void of people anyways, with the exception of her and the driver, so her precaution was not really needed. Roads and towns flew by the window as she stared coldly out of it, her grey eyes empty of emotion.

The old bus huffed and puffed into the next couple of stops, but the people that got on almost always got off at the next stop. Not many boarded either. None of them noticed the child seated right at the back, hunched over a flower, cowering away from the eyes of strangers.

The bus finally reached her stop. She checked that her hood was up, slipped silently off the bus and continued along the greyish pavement. Her hand was shaky as it held the flower. She knew she was not supposed to be here, yet she was. It was almost as if she was running away from the law and was living as a fugitive.

Her thin lips curled up at that irony.

Her shuffling footsteps brought her to that flat, the one that her sister had rented. She looked up slightly, just to check the floor, then trudged on in.

The creaky stairs brought her up to that floor, and she strode quickly towards the door. She glanced furtively behond her, but there was no sign, or even a shadow of anyone behind her. She sighed quietly, and unlocked the door. It swung open on its hinges, letting her in. She stepped in tentatively, not wanting to disturb the state her late sister had left it in.

It was then she realised that the lights were on.

"No, it couldn't be!" she whispered, her face paling in shock. Her heart beat on traitourously in her chest, almost as if it was determined to announce her arrival. The shadows cast on the wall beside her moved, rose up to their menancing height, and advanced swiftlly towards her. She turned to run, bead of sweat flying off the sides of her head, and dashed for the door. She could hear their footsteps echoing down the corridor, the loud sound ringing in her ears. Just as she got there, it slammed shut in her face. Her head shot up and she saw an arm wrapped in black cloth holding it shut. Her breaths were more punctuated now, short hard puffs of air saturated with fear, and she was hoisted up by her collar. She wriggled about in midair, watching herself getting dragged back to the living room, thrown roughly on the couch. She felt a couple of bones flex as she took impact, the cracking sound letting a mild 'oof!' escape from her mouth. The shadows crowded in around her, evil things grinning at their prey. She scrambled up into a sitting position, and was just about to hop off the chair when two strong arms thrust her backwards and held her there. Wriggling this time would be of no use, for even if she did, one of the black cloth-wrapped arms had aimed the muzzle of a charcoal pistol at her forehead. Her pupils dilated till they were no more than dots at the end of a sentence, as she recognised her captors.

There were three of them here. One had a shower of long blond hair behind her, her icy lips twisted into a smirk. Another was grinning darkly at her as well, with a black hat perched in top of his head, shading his sunglasses. The one who was holding her had the worst expression of all; his long hair swept backwards, revealing a pair of glittering ebony dots set in his pointed face, and a devillish smile that dripped of poison. She knew who they were, and she regretted now; if only she had listened to Conan! She probably wouldn't be here then, walking right into a trap. She watched as the raven in front of her opened his mouth to speak.

"Welcome, Sherry," the venomous voice drawled.


	2. Chapter 2: A Medicine for Melancholy

**One Last Visit, One Last Word  
Chapter 2:A Medicine for Melancholy**

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**_Tarino: As of this story, my chapters are rather short. But I'll take care not to let my story drop off the first page until it's completed, of course! I wonder if anyone takes a look at this, though. Maybe this is not a good story after all._**  
**

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She waited anxiously for the phone to ring. For her to pick up, and to hear his voice on the other end of the phone, his warm smile leaking in through the wiring, tickling her sense of emotions lightly.

But, as of the past month, it did not. Today would not be any different.

She sighed, as she turned off the lights, and went up to bed, a heavy heart dragging between her feet.

She still didn't feel better the next morning. And again, he didn't call. "He could've at least told me what's going on," she thought, worry clouding her mind up like a dense fog that sticks around even after everything has gone. "He's probably just ignoring me or something. Or something..." Her wandering mind sketched up a picture of "Or something..." and held it up to her eyes: shinichi with another person. Probably blonde, something like that.

She dusted that thought away. "He wouldn't do anything like that! He's a good guy! Good guys aren't lechers!" she reasoned aloud to herself, catching the attention of a passer-by.

"What's wrong, Ran-neechan?" His cute face popped into her room, a look of concern etched upon it.

"N...Nothing's the matter, Conan-kun," she muttered, still mulling over her thoughts. It was probably true that Shinichi would not go after another woman, but then he had so many fangirls he could have easily gottn off with any of them. Maybe even more than one! Her eyebrows furrowed together as she thought of that, and her fists clenched hard.

"Is it about Shinichi-niichan?"

Ran looked up and stared at Conan weirdly. "How'd you know? It's not like I said anything." The kid always seemed to be able to read her mind, especially on the subject of her childhood friend. It was almost as if he was Shinichi himself, talking to her through a ventriloquist's puppet, getting inside knowledge of her life..."No, that can't be." She pulled herself away from that path, remembering how many times she had tried to make him admit, or at least prove that he was spying on her, or that he was really that kid standing before her right now. But then again, it was almost as likely as when your friend disappears without a trace and only appears for a couple of hours each time, not frequent. Phone calls were okay, except sometimes she wondered if it was really Shinichi on the line, the Shinichi she knew and had feelings for, and not some cold automated machine with the intelligence of a human that tried to imitate the real thing.

"Ran-neechan?"

"Go away, Conan-kun. I just want to be alone for now," she mumbled, turning herself away from the door so she did not have to see his face, and thus preventing herself from another impulse to squeeze the 'truth' out of him. Her head was dipped, so the glass beads that fell from her eyes dropped downwards without any obstruction.

Conan stopped for a moment, then slowly strode over to the bed. He romped up onto it, pressing the sheets wrinkly with his limbs, and curled up in her lap, catching her tears with a quick flick of his pink tongue. He snuggled closer to her, and she hugged him back like a warm pillow on a cold and dreary night. Then, she let the tide that welled up in her go, let it wash her eyes out, accompanied by a few sobs. He lay there on her lap, still trying to catch every tear that fell, and surprisingly, not one managed to drop past him. She uncorked her melancholy, wailing uncontrollably on Conan's shoulder.

It was a long while before she stopped. But until then, he continued to sit there, a little bit of comfort in the fog of despair. But at least she felt better affterwards.

"Thanks, Conan-kun," she mumbled through gasps of air, using the back of her hand to rub away the stray tears on her face. Looking at Conan's sunny smile, she felt warmer and cozier inside, radiating from the centre outwards. She got up, gently nudging him off her lap, and returned his help with a rainbow of a smile.

His medicine worked, she was sure of that.


	3. Chapter 3: Hanging in the Shadows

**One Last Visit, One Last Word  
Chapter 3: Hanging in the Shadows**

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_Tarino: Hmm. Apparently I am updating too slowly to reach my goal. Is anyone still reading this? I know the chapters are starting to look a little slipshot. Looks like a bunch of sleepless nights ahead._

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"Professor, where's Haibara?"

That was the first thing he asked when he stepped into the house. He shook off his shoes, trodded on the mat in front of the door and darted straight to Haibara's room. Before the old man had any time to answer, though, the door to the girl's main dwelling area slammed shut.

His sock-wrapped feet bounded down the staircase, the dull echoing thuds bouncing off the narrow walls of the corridor. He ran straight through to the laboratory, flinging the metal door wide open.

"Haibara!"

He scanned around eagerly for her, but then realised that the lights were off, and there was no sign of her anywhere.

"Come out, Haibara! Are you done with the antidote yet? Ran's getting all emo again!"

Still, no answer.

He tapped his foot against the floor impatiently, waiting for her answer.

She never answered.

That was two days ago. Now, Conan was longing sleepily on the couch, waving his socked feet in the air. He sure did not look like it, but he was rummaging every corner of his complicated mind for clues.

He found that he only knew one thing.

Haibara had disappeared, and she had not left a single trace behind.

he flopped off the sofa, and rolled around on the floor, finally coming to a rest beside a red box tied up with ribbon. He sat up and shook it, trying to figure out what was inside.

"Professor," he asked the man working at his desk behind him, "What is this?"

He looked up, slightly irritated from the distraction, nodded his head and went back to his work.

"A gift I picked up at your doorstep. It's from Ran. Apparently she and Sonoko went out shopping yesterday and she got something for you," he answered listlessly, continuously picking at whatever invention he had decided to come up with this time. Conan stripped the package of its bright wrappings almost immediately, and flipped open the top of the box. His hands reached inside and groped around, his fingers curling around something that was soft and had the slight smell of softener and laundry soap. He pulled it out gently, and out tumbled a long roll of blackish cloth and a round felt-covered thing.

"It's a roll of something...and a hat. I wonder why she got me these." He tried them on, just to see how they looked. The brim of the black felt hat plopped over the bridge of his nose, and the hemline of the cloak spread out a good ten inches around him on the floor.

"For the real me, I see," he deduced out loud, then folded the cloak up neatly and placed the clothes back into the box.

"Your school is having an open house soon, you know. You should be getting something to wear." Professor Agasa's voice mumbled half-heartedly on.

"I'm not even going for it. What's the point? Haibara's not even here to help me, and only she knows the formula to the antidote, which she just had to store in that huge head of hers. Anyway, it's not like I'm wanted or something."

"You're forgetting Ran."

"Other than her. Remember the last time I went as myself? Another murder popped up! It's like there's a shinigami following me or somthing."

The tip of Professor Agasa's mouth curled up slightly. "Suit yourself then, Shinichigami."

Conan glared angrily at the professor, who was trying to hide his chuckles. He got up, replaced the box in the corner, and head for the door. Just as his hands closed around the doorknob, it flung itself open. A little girl of eight sttod in the doorway, her brown wavy locks swaying slightly in time to her breaths. She was panting, her chest heaving heavily up and down. Her cloudy grey eyes focused their steely gaze upon him, and she reached out a slender arm, her fist uncurling to reveal a small yellow-and-red pill, the coloring blurred with sweat that had the cool stale smell of air-conditioning lingering in it..

"Go to the open house. Use this."


	4. Chapter 4: An Unexpected Performance

**One Last Visit, One Last Word  
Chapter 4: An Unexpected Performance**

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_Tarino: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Really, they mean a lot, and they give me the confidence to write on now that I know there are people out there reading my drabbles. I think this story might derail off its intended track, but then a little surprise is always welcome, right? Hopefully everything will link up in the end._

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It was not like he was coming anyway.

He may have turned up for the previous one, but past experiences told her that he was either going to make another surprise appearance and hush it up, which was not very likely, or completely miss the whole thing. Logic assured her that it was the latter.

She brushed the ruffles of her dress, peeled back the curtains a little and gazed out to the huge audience. THere was no sign of him, or even Conan.

Maybe the kid had to do a project or something. He had told her something like that...sometime ago. She was not sure.

The red hem of her dress grazed her feet, and she nudged it away with a deft flick of her foot. The slipper clacked against the varnished wooden stage, the sound echoing across to the curtain at the other end. She blushed gently, and quickly retreated back behind the safe white walls of the hidden corridor backstage.

Behind the wall, it was considerably noisier. The performing students were busy chatting away, confiding in each other their stage fright, helping to apply each other's makeup. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Sonoko picking among a rack of clothes. The brunette seemed to pick one up, grin happily at it, then walked over to her. She thrust the dress up into her friend's face.

"Wear this, Ran. You'll look great in it instead of that frilly thing you are wearing. Besides, it suits your voice well."

Ran felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. It had been some time since she did any stage item other than calefare and a karate heroine in a play. This time Sonoko had persuaded her to use her voice to spill her heart's thoughts, and she did have to admit, her singing was not that bad.

"Not as bad as Shinichi's, obviously," she snickered to herself, the vivid yet momentary memory of him trying to caw the school song resounding in her mind.

She went off to change.

"Get the programme lists! Get the catalogues! We have a grave emergency!"

Sonoko's loud yells shook Ran out of her daydream. She looked up to see a frenzied emcee dashing around, upsetting furniture, a pile of yellow papers fluttering about from her arms.

"There's been a last minute change in the programme! We have to reprint every single one of them!" she cried to the nervous backstagers. Ran got up, helped to pick up some of the flyers, then walked calmly over to Sonoko.

"What happened?"

"Oh, it's terrible! H-I mean, the teacher wanted to stage a surprise item at the last minute! Now we have got to reprint every single one of the programme lists!"

"If it's a surprise item, then why do you want to print it out? Let the audience have a jack-in-the-box for once," Ran said warmly, laying a hand on her flustered friend's shoulder. She felt it sag a little, the Sonoko matched her gaze with her ash-colored one.

"Okay. You're right. I shouldn't get so worked up about nothing."

"Good."

"What are you waiting for, Ran? Your item's up next!" Sonoko reassumed her confident leader-like attitude and ushered Ran behind the closed curtains. She then hurried over to the podium and announced the item next.

Ran smiled, took a deep breath, and tried to remember her lyrics.

The stage curtains were raised, and she stood in the spotlight, almost as if she was calm. Her heart beat quickly, and she uttered a fraction of a word when the hushed silence was broken by that of a rather loud ringtone. Ran's face flushed crimson, as her hand groped into her pocket to pull out the ringing cell.

She was about to silence it when she saw the caller's name.

She hesitated, then glanced quickly at the crowd. All eyes were intently fixed on her, as if anticipating her next move. She flipped her phone open and whispered tentatively, "Hello?"

The other person was silent for a moment, then an equally hushed voice answered her. "Ran. It's me."

Ran felt her heart jumping and thrashing against her chest. Of all times, he just had to call her then. But wait, what was that echo from the phone? She whispered a random word into the phone, and heard that same word whispered back almost immediately. She decided to test her theory, brought her ear away from the reciever and yelled into the speaker.

"Shinichi!"

Her ears did not trick her. She distinctly heard the sound amplified from the stage speakers. Someone had bugged her phone!

"Ran, it's okay. They're done on purpose. It's all part of your item, is it not?"

"What do you mean? I am supposed to sing, not talk on the phone for five minutes!"

Her ears picked up a faint chuckle. "I think you will, actually. You can't put down this phone, can you?"

It was partially true. She didn't have the heart to hang up on him like he could, but she had heard the speakers' echo in the phone as well, so he had to be near her somewhere. She glanced around furtively, her eyes sweeping the crowd for any sign of him. There was none.

"Ran, don't put down the phone. I've got something I want to say."

"Then say it already."

She could almost hear his grin on the other side. His answer, assuming he had one, was suddenly drowned out in a series of loud clacks. It sounded like shoes on granite, almost as if he was walking...

The doors to the auditorium flew open, slamming hard against the walls that held their hinges. His slient silhouette was small compared to the amount of light he had let in, yet it was almost an unseen aura made it feel much bigger than what anyone could see. She could vaguely make out a hand clutching to something near his ear, but it was hard to see given the familiar thing that shaded her gaze from his.

He strode in, his footsteps resounding powerfully on the glossy wooden floor, until he was halfway down the aisle where the two rows of people parted for performers to use as a runway. Ran saw him more clearly now, with the gallant dark cloak rippling around his slim figure, and the brim of the hat tilted downwards to hide his eyes. It was him, alright. She could see Sonoko snickering out of the corner of her eye. She had a part to play in this...Maybe that was what the emergency was about. It wasn't a teacher after all.

She guessed she couldn't stop herself. She ran down the stage til she was just a few meters from him on level ground.

"Shinichi!"

She could see a smile flicker over his lips, then vanishing away into a serious frown. She skidded to a halt, and felt a little awkward. What was he doing here? Sure, he turned up, but for what? And that ominous feeling that creeped into the depths of her heart, what was it for? What did it herald?

"I..." He was hesitant in his speech. Was it something important?

He shuffled his weight uneasily onto one foot, then the other. As if he was guilty of something...

"I..."

Ran was only vaguely aware of the whispery shuffling footsteps that echoed around her. Shinichi stared fixedly at the ground, unsure about how he should tell her.

He finally looked up, and just as he was about to say something, she heard a loud clack and a thud. Shinichi's eyes grew wide as he saw something in the background, and his face paled till they were no more than sheets of white wrapping paper. His pupils shrank till they were no more than dots on the whites of his eyes.

"Haibara, put that down," was all he said.


	5. Chapter 5: Of a Person called Sherry

**One Last Visit, One Last Word  
Chapter 5: Of a Person called Sherry**

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_Tari: Ah! This was the hardest to write! And I only had a borderline word pass! Noooo! But still, here's the story._

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"Haibara, put that down."

She dreadfully wanted to, but she could not. Between her life and her confidante's, she had no choice but to choose her own. Then again, it was a rushed decision, done at gunpoint.

Like what she was doing to him now.

She could feel their cold stares goring into her from the slienced crowd. They were egging her on, and ready to eradicate her off the face of the earth if she did any more than what she was tasked to do.

More like forced to do, in that matter, she thought bitterly.

Mustering up the courage to point the gun at him was almost out of the question, but she could just pass it off as a simple pose, aiming for a lamp in front of him and his head was in the way.

She could put it like that. But she would have to clear his existence somehow.

Her finger lay trembling on the trigger, but she was unable to pull it, somehow there was something stopping her. was it a feeling for a comrade? Maybe.

She squeezed her eyes tight, trying not to think of what had happened earlier.

"Welcome, Sherry."

She shrank timidly into the chair as they advanced, their faces set with cold mailce. Gin grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her over, his arm pressing the gun close to her temple.

"I...I don't know you people. What are you doing in my friend's house?" she mumbled, trying to keep her fear away from her voice. It came out more firm than she had expected, conveying a false sense of self-confidence to her captors.

"Of course you know us, Sherry-chan," the woman in blonde cooed, her voice oozing with cyanide-laced honey. "We have known you ever since you were little, like you are now," she added, with a shrill laugh.

She was not finding it funny at all.

"Well, aniki, it looks like you've made a good call-coming to this house. And we've got her in person this time, not just a phone call." Vodka smiled, and patted Gin lightly on his shoulder. He shrugged it off coldly, and turned to their hostage.

"You know, after all the trouble you've given us, I've a good mind to pull that god-darned trigger right now."

She said nothing, but stared up into his icy gaze with what she felt to be defiance. He grinned back, and slowly took away the gun.

"Of course, you may still be of use to us, and we intend to keep you till then. You know what they say, one thing leads to another. I think we can say the same here. I want you to lead us."

Her feet froze. Lead them? To where? To whom?

Gin leaned in closer, and tipped up her chin to meet her ash-colored eyes. They looked beautiful, but it was much too early to snuff out to fire behind them.

"Lead us to Kudo Shinichi. Or else."

"Haibara."

Her hazy thoughts focused back into the present. Her unintended target had turned to face her now.

"Put it down. You're not going to accomplish anything with it."

"I can't, Kudo. They made me to." Her reply was soft and fearful, yet she held on, silently willing him to take the gun from her and put it away. She couldn't bear to shoot. After all, who was the one who took her in after her escape? And he had help her so much too, being a live test subject and all. Okay, maybe it was not normal for scientists to feel anything for the humans they tested on, but he was so deep in the same situation as her she had to feel something. She scrunched up her face, daring not to look at her friend's fate.

Shinichi said something, but she could not hear.

He glanced around, and his expressionless face turned grim. Then, he strode forward and grabbed the gun out of her hands roughly. She sighed in relief, and let her tense body collapse to the floor happily.

She must have blacked out after then, because she never knew what happened next.


	6. Chapter 6: At Gunpoint

**One Last Visit, One Last Word  
Chapter 6: At Gunpoint**

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_Tari: This story seems to be screwing up a little. Chapter-that-has-absolutely-no-common-sense for dessert, anyone? And darn those cliffhangers...I love to leave them lying around._

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He snatched up the cocked weapon, and watched her fall. He caught a glimpse of something - was it a smile? - on her face as she fell.

No matter.

His sharp ears picked up his milisecond warning, and whirled away just in time to dodge a bullet that came piercing through where his head had been a few moments ago, catching a few wisps of ebony-black hair as it passed harmlessly.

He traced the path of the bullet back to its owner, and found that it came from the window of the technical room at the back of the hall. The room was dark, perfect for an unseen assasin to hide in, yet gave a good scope of the area. It was not possible to hear any dialogue from that distance, yet the action must have probably given away. But why not earlier? Then there must be a reason. A partner, or partners, most probably. And they were here, in the audience. With them there, it was not just him or Haibara who was the target. It could be anyone now.

But wait, hadn't he got a clear idea of the informers already?

He raised the pistol, still loaded, and pointed it straight into the crowd. Gasps and cries of shock and terror were heard, but he took no notice of them.

It wasn't as if he was going to hit anyone innocent. His mark was too straight for that.

His finger yanked sharply on the trigger, releasing the bullet with a loud explosion. It sliced through the air as if it were starch, and neatly pinned his target down.

By his hair.

He smiled grimly, and walked up to the person. He could feel stares of surprise boring into him from every angle, but he did not care. Not when they were so close...showing any sign of emotion towards them would be a weakness!

He produced a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and clacked them onto the person's wrists. He stared into the eyes shaded away with a pair of sunglasses.

"You know, you can hide a person, but you can never hide his habits."

The person seemed not to comprehend. Just as well, he could tell from his pulse rate that he was only pretending. If he had absolutely nothing to do with anything, his pulse would not have skyrocketed.

He cocked the pistol again with his other hand, and pointed straight into the person standing beside him.

"We meet again."

The other smiled, and placed both hands behind him. "How'd you know?"

"Simple. You're his 'big brother'."

The other party looked agast for a moment, then the expression was replaced once more by icy hardness.

"Hmm. That's some hearing. It ought to be taken out of places where it is not wanted." In saying so, he knocked the gun out of the detective's arm and slipped him up. As Shinichi tried to get back on his feet, he pointed the muzzle at him.

"So maybe we screwed up the disguising part. But that can be worked on. At least we can get away from here safely, with our mission accomplished. Your little friend there has disabled all cameras in this room, and all phones are on silent mode. Besides, we've barred the gates, and the police won't bother us in this quiet little reunion, will they? Of course they will. There's one right here!" he cackled, jabbing the gun at him.

"People can turn their phones back on, you know."

"They can't. Remember the sniper up in that room? The sniper took out most of their phones. They'll have to be repaired after getting hit by such a fast yet precise pellet shot."

He noticed that the other was not using 'he' or 'she'. Clever guy, but now he knows the sniper has an air rifle. Of course! Hardly any gunpowder evidence to get rid of, and aided with gravity, the pellets would be shot at such a devious speed it was almost impossible to see them. The pellets themselves would probably still be on the floor, though, unless they had taken the liberty to remove every single one. He wasn't surprised if they actually did it.

And he knows now where exactly that person is.

As the buzzing crowd started glancing anxiously at their phones, Shinichi blinked once.

Twice.

Then his leg shot up and caught Gin squarely under the chin.

As his foe stumbled backwards, he hopped up and lashed another kick at his back. Gin fell to the ground, dropping the gun. He kicked it away, then prepared to handcuff the bad guy.

"Yaaaaah!"

He was only vaguely aware of the sharp stab in his back, continuing to his abdomen and out, but caught sight of the blood as soon as it spurted out. His vision started blurring, darkening, thudding lightly against something wet and warm. He struggled to catch streams of thought as they rushed away from him, and caught only a snippet of the outside world.

"Well done, Haibara."


	7. Chapter 7: For Some Apparent Reason

**One Last Visit, One Last Word  
Chapter 7: For Some Apparent Reason**

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_Tari: It's been some time since I updated this. Thanks for the reviews! I've adjusted the reactions of the characters in this chapter. Enjoy!_

_P.S. Can anyone predict the ending? I know it's hard with such a large cliffhanger this time.  
_

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This was not happening, was it?

Because she would never have thought it to.

Surely, this day was not supposed to be this screwed up? It was supposed to only be an open day, after all.

She stared as the crowd hushed, as her friend toppled to the ground, hitting it with a loud crash as his head struck the wooden tiles. His assailant, the mild-mannered, seven year old child she had never known to have held a gun in her life, had shot a single bullet straight into his stomach. She was beginning to wonder if that kid was really who she claimed to be after all. Then, how did the duo know her? Was she stuck in some kind of terrorist plot? That was highly probable.

She glanced hurriedly at the crowd, and was surprised to find that admist the sheer number of people who had gathered around this scene, whispers of "That shot looked so real!" and "Their technology is so cool that my phone actually stopped working! How did they do it?" were arife. How could they take the situation so lightly? This was not part of the show. It definitely was not part of the show!

She wanted to stop them, or at least help Shinichi somehow, but for some reason her feet had unhelpfully glued themselves to the floor. Her eyes captured every painful moment that she saw of him, struggling helplessly on the ground, flailing in the blooming red flower that spread itself out from under his body. The child seemed to shake, her little frame quaking with some emotion, then she dropped the gun and broke down in tears. That man - That evil, evil man was chuckling softly at his triumph, slowly taking out another gun hidden away in his coat and pointing the muzzle at the two of them! Unbelieveable!

There was only one single word in the universe that could describe it.

Insanity.

Her friend was no softie, though. After a few thrashes he managed to compose himself and get up, though bleeding badly from his wound. Modern Warfare players in her class would have called it the 'Last Stand'.

"Put that gun down. You don't know what you're dealing with!" he cried, pressing his hand to the gaping hole, trying to staunch the flowing whitewaters. He cringed as the raw nerves came in contact to the hot humid air.

"Oh, getting defensive now, aren't you? What happened to the Kudo Shinichi of a few moments ago, mocking directly into my face?" He fired a few more shots into her friend, and smiled venomously as his eyes traced the path of his collapsing body.

"Oh, STOP IT!"

It was her voice. Yet, she had never remembered using it. It seemed to sound off own. Was it what they called the subconscious manipulating her?

Her audacity commanded the direct attention of every single one in the room. Hundreds of heads turned towards her direction, casting their glances at her face. The bad man stopped firing, too, and reloaded his gun.

"What's this? Oh, I forgot you had your girlfriend here, Kudo. Wouldn't like it if she got hurt, would you now?" He motioned to someone, and she felt two strong hands wrap around her neck, and a round canister end digging hard into her temple. She scratched helplessly at the tough gloved hands that her, but to no avail.

Her friend, who had lain twitching on the floor in a growing pool of blood, coughed hard and looked up at them.

L-Let...her go." He struggled to even keep conscious, frantically grasping at the last strands of life that were rapidly gushing out of the cheese-like holes popped out of his body. Trembling, he staggered back up, and she saw to her relief that not one vital part of him was gored by the bullets yet, but he was still losing a lot of blood.

Vodka's hands clamped slightly tighter around her neck, and she found it uncomfortable to breathe. "Take one step closer, and your girlfriend's finished," gloated his partner, with a tinge of laughter that sounded like mockery. He glanced at her and broke out in a sadistic grin that reached both his ears. "Surely you haven't told her anything. If you did, or have told somebody else about it, the mortuary would be busy tomorrow."

Vodka's iron grip started to constrict her throat. She was wheezing with every breath she took, yet she could not sqeeze out any sympathy from her assailant.

Shinichi lolled his head around to face Gin, blood splashing out onto the already soaking ground.

"I haven't told anyone about that night. Only Haibara. You can take my word for it."

Gin stared fiercely at the child. She nodded quickly, her eyes wide with what Ran percieved to be pretense terror.

"Good. So there'll only be one...no, about a hundred casualties today. We'll see to it personally that there were no survivors. The bombs are set, and the doors are locked."

As he said it there came a harmonious slam from the doors in the hall, and almost simultaneously the keys turned in each lock. They were all trapped, like mice in a cage, with no hope of escaping.

The crowd, with the sudden regainment of their common sense, started scrambling around like maniacs screaming in an asylum, trying to barge through the doors or climb out the windows. But the doors held fast, and the windows were not the type to open naturally. They persisted, but to no avail.

If looks could kill, Gin would have died there and then by Shinichi's intent stare. Unfortunately, it could not happen.

"Let them go, now. They have absolutely nothing to do with this!" he cried, as a fresh spurt of exited his wounds. Gin only smiled curtly in sick pleasure.

"Of course not. They have seen too much. We cannot let them go."

Shinichi cursed, and toppled over has more blood spurted through the hole.

She felt her legs rushing over to him and catching him as he fell. She hugged him close to her chest, and tried squeezing the hole shut with one hand.

"It's going to be all right, Ran." His voice was barely a whisper now.

She dreadfully wished that it was true.


End file.
